Change-of-rings tensor quotient Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-14
For a homomorphism of commutative rings and two -modules, the tensor product of modules over is the quotient of the tensor product of modules over imposing all relations . The quotient map is -linear when acts through the first factor on the source. This expresses the extra balancing imposed by change of rings.
Coordinate ring of a product of affine varieties Created 2026-10-05 Updated 2026-10-06
For affine varieties over an algebraically closed field , their product in a category is affine, with coordinate ring , where and . Presenting and identifies this ring with . If both varieties are irreducible, this is an integral domain: express a nonzero tensor using linearly independent second factors. The points where its specialization is nonzero form a nonempty open subset of . For two nonzero tensors , choose in the intersection of these open subsets; then in the domain . The Hilbert Nullstellensatz identifies with the defining ideal of . The universal property follows from the universal property of the tensor product of modules as a tensor product of commutative algebras.
Direct summands of flat modules are flat 2026-10-14
If is a flat module, then and are flat. For an injection , distributivity of the tensor product of modules identifies with . This map is injective by flatness of . Each component is therefore injective, proving flatness of both summands.
First Tor of a cyclic quotient 2026-10-14
Start a free resolution of with and a free module surjecting onto . The next differential presents the relations in . Right exactness of the tensor product of modules identifies with . Taking degree-one homology then gives the displayed kernel formula. Hence vanishing for every ideal is equivalent to the flatness criterion using ideals.
Free modules are flat 2026-10-14
For a free module , the natural map sends to and is an isomorphism, with inverse sending the tuple to . For any injection , its tensor product of modules with is therefore the coordinatewise injection . Thus every free module is flat, including those of infinite rank.
Invertible module 2026-10-14
An invertible module over a commutative ring is a finitely generated module that is a projective module and whose localization at a prime ideal is free of rank one at every prime. Its dual module is also finite projective. Evaluation is an isomorphism after every prime localization, hence is an isomorphism globally by localization detects zero elements. The Picard group of a ring consists of the isomorphism classes of these modules under the tensor product of modules.
Left derived functor 2026-10-14
For an additive right-exact functor on module categories, apply it to a projective resolution and take homology. Lifts of module maps exist by projectivity; any two lifts are chain homotopic, giving independence and functoriality. The zeroth derived functor is naturally , positive degrees vanish on projective modules, and the horseshoe lemma produces a long exact homology sequence from each short exact sequence. A Tor functor is the left derived functor of a tensor product of modules functor.
Localization commutes with tensor products Created 2026-10-06 Updated 2026-10-14
For a multiplicatively closed set in a commutative ring , the map sends to . An inverse sends to . The fraction relations and the tensor product of modules balancing relation make these maps well-defined and mutually inverse.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2005 iii Paper 17 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let . Work with commutative rings and take a quotient to mean a surjection , considered up to an isomorphism of commuting with . Equivalently, retain its kernel as a submodule of . Here a rank- locally free module is finite locally free, or equivalently a finite projective module of constant rank . A ring homomorphism sends the quotient toThe tensor product of modules is right exact and preserves finite projectivity, so this defines the functorial action. We prove scheme representability in the usual functor of points sense:naturally in . The Grassmannian of locally free quotients will be constructed explicitly.
Assume first , and choose a basis of . For every ordered subset , consider those quotients for which are a basis of . This choice gives a unique identification , in which the quotient is represented by an matrix whose columns indexed by are the identity matrix. Its remaining entries are arbitrary elements of . Thus this subfunctor is represented by the affine schemeThere is no further change-of-basis ambiguity: the selected quotient images already specify its basis uniquely.
For another subset , write for the square submatrix consisting of the columns. The same quotient lies in the chart exactly when its determinant is a unit. Consequently the chart overlap is the principal open subsetOn that overlap the matrix normalized in the basis isThe entries are regular on by the adjugate matrix. Conversely, the columns of form , so normalization back to recovers . The transition is therefore an isomorphism .
The cocycle identity follows from the same matrix computation, not just an assertion about bases. On a triple overlap, normalization first to and then to givesThis is direct normalization from to . By gluing of schemes along open subschemes, the standard affine charts of the quotient Grassmannian therefore glue to a scheme over .
The universal matrices also glue a universal quotient. On , use the surjectionOn overlaps, identify its targets by , precisely the transition matrix above. The cocycle identity glues these free sheaves into a rank- locally free sheaf and glues the maps into . Its kernel is locally free of rank : on an explicit basis isHence we have the universal exact sequence
It remains to verify that these charts capture every quotient, including a nonfree projective target. Given , define as the locus where the selected images , , form a basis. This is open: locally trivialize the locally free sheaf associated with , and it is the nonvanishing locus of the corresponding maximal minor. The sets cover . Indeed, at every prime , the images of all vectors span the -dimensional residue-field quotient, so some of them form a basis there. Their determinant is a unit in , hence they form a basis over that local ring and on an open neighbourhood of .
On , trivialize using exactly those selected images. The remaining columns give regular functions and hence a morphism . On , the normalized matrices satisfy the displayed transition formula, so the local morphisms glue to a morphismIts pullback of the universal quotient is the original quotient, because this is true in each of the specified bases. Conversely, any morphism pulls back the universal sequence to a rank- locally free quotient. On each inverse-image chart its matrix is exactly the normalized matrix used to reconstruct , so the two constructions are inverse. They are unchanged by an isomorphism commuting with the quotient map, and they commute with every base change . This proves the natural bijection and thereforeTaking kernels over a field identifies this with the usual Grassmannian of -dimensional subspaces of . The construction itself does not assume the target module is globally free.
For , the only quotient is zero; for , a surjection to a locally free module of the same rank is an isomorphism, as can be checked locally by its determinant. Both endpoint functors are represented by . If , no such quotient exists over a nonempty test scheme, and the representing scheme is empty. Finally, scheme representability does not mean representation by a single ring: already gives , which is not affine. This is the standard algebraic-geometric meaning of representability for the functor on rings here.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2007 iii Paper 2 2 b Solution 2026-10-14
Use the comultiplication , , of the quantum enveloping algebra of sl2. Choose a basis for with , , and . Choose a basis for withand all terminal raising or lowering actions zero. This is one of the corrected bases from part (a).
In the tensor product of modules, putThe vector is killed by and has eigenvalue . Direct application of the comultiplication givesand the string formula gives , , . Also . Thus is a submodule isomorphic to .
The other highest vector and its lowered partner areIndeed , , , and . Therefore is a submodule isomorphic to .
To verify that this is a direct sum, in the weight space the determinant of the coefficients of is . In the weight space, the coefficient determinant of is . The extreme weight spaces are spanned by . Hence these six vectors form a basis of the entire tensor product of modules. Each summand is a simple module: projecting a nonzero vector onto one of its distinct weight spaces and applying the nonzero raising and lowering coefficients recovers its entire basis. Consequently
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2008 iii Paper 7 2 d Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
First show that free modules are flat. If , distributivity of the tensor product of modules givesExplicitly, maps to , and the inverse sends a finitely supported tuple to . For an injection , the tensor map is therefore the coordinatewise injection . This proves flatness for any free rank.
By part (c), a projective module is a direct summand of a free module . The latter is flat by the preceding argument, and part (b) proves that its summand is flat. Therefore . This proves projective modules are flat directly from the exactness and splitting definitions.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2009 iii Paper 3 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
An algebraic line bundle over is an invertible module: a finitely generated projective module such that for every prime ideal . Define the Picard group of a ring as the set of its isomorphism classes, withThe tensor product of modules of two finite projective modules is finite projective: write each as a direct summand of a finite free module and tensor the two decompositions. Localization gives , so this multiplication stays within the set of invertible modules. It is well defined on isomorphism classes. The associativity and symmetry isomorphisms of the tensor product give associativity and commutativity, and is the identity.
Let be the dual module. A finite direct-summand presentation shows that is finite projective and that localization commutes with this dual. Since is free of rank one, so is . The evaluation homomorphismis an isomorphism after every prime localization. Its kernel and cokernel are therefore zero, by exactness of localization and localization detects zero elements for modules. Thus , proving that is an abelian group.
For a ring homomorphism , tensoring a split presentation gives , so is finite projective. For put . Every element of becomes a unit in , andThis proves base change of invertible modules. Moreover, the canonical mapis an isomorphism, with inverse . It shows that is a group homomorphism. Identity maps induce the identity, and for , the associativity isomorphism proves composition compatibility. Therefore is a covariant functor to abelian groups.
The polynomial ring is a principal ideal domain by division with remainder. A submodule of a finite free module over a principal ideal domain is free: induct on the ambient rank, project onto the first coordinate, and note that the image is a principal ideal, hence either zero or a free rank-one module. This gives a split exact sequence with that image as quotient; the kernel lies in a free module of one smaller rank, completing the induction. A finite projective module is such a submodule, and so is free. An invertible module has rank one after passing to the fraction field, so its free rank is exactly one. Hence every algebraic line bundle over is trivial and
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 3 4 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
Let be the fraction field of the integral domain . The Picard group of a ring consists of isomorphism classes of finitely generated projective modules that have rank one after localization at every prime ideal. Its product is induced by the tensor product of modules, its identity is , and the inverse of is , where . Evaluation is an isomorphism: after localization it is evaluation on a free rank-one module, and a map whose kernel and cokernel vanish at every prime is an isomorphism.
An invertible fractional ideal is a nonzero finitely generated -submodule admitting another fractional ideal with . The Cartier divisors of can be represented by these ideals. Concretely a Cartier divisor has local nonzero rational equations on a cover by distinguished open sets, with a regular unit on each overlap. We use the convention assigning to it , whose local fractional ideals are . Their unit ratios make these modules agree on overlaps. Thus the Cartier divisor group is realized by invertible fractional ideals with multiplication. The identity is and a principal Cartier divisor of corresponds to .
To check explicitly that local divisor data give an invertible fractional ideal, set . Take a finite distinguished-open cover; this is possible because an affine spectrum is quasi-compact. On an overlap, . For each fixed , clear the powers of in these finitely many expressions: there is with for every . Thus belongs to , and . The finite module has the same localizations, so vanishes on the cover and . Repeating with gives a finitely generated fractional ideal with . Therefore is contained in and equals after localization on the cover, whence . These conclusions use the elementary localization test proved below. Conversely, the next argument constructs precisely such a finite principal cover from an inverse ideal. Thus the local-divisor and ideal descriptions agree, without assuming that is Noetherian.
Here is the algebra underlying that realization and the map to the Picard group. If , write , with and . On the distinguished open where is invertible, : for any , the expressionis in . These open sets cover the spectrum because . The generators on overlaps differ by units. Moreover the maps , , satisfy . Consequently the compositeis the identity. This explicitly makes a direct summand of a finite free module, and hence a projective module, with rank one locally.
Its inverse isThe inclusion follows from . For the other inclusion, gives . Local multiplication is an isomorphism between free rank-one modules, so multiplication is an isomorphism. In particular respects the group laws.
Conversely, suppose is a finitely generated projective module of rank one. It is a direct summand of a finite free module, so it is torsion-free and injects into . The latter is a one-dimensional -space. Choose a basis to identify it with , and let be the image of . Its finitely many generators have a common nonzero denominator, making a fractional ideal. Every -linear map extends to a -linear map , which is multiplication by some . Thus identifies with . Evaluation is an isomorphism locally, so its image ideal localizes to at every prime. A proper ideal would be contained in a maximal ideal, contradicting that localization; hence . This proves that every Picard group class has an invertible fractional ideal representative, and also that locally principal fractional ideals on a finite open cover are invertible.
For completeness, these local tests do detect a zero module without a finite-generation assumption. If , its annihilator is proper; choose a maximal ideal containing it. Then is nonzero in that localization, since any denominator killing would belong to its annihilator. Applying this observation to a kernel and cokernel justifies the local isomorphism tests above.
The natural maps in the Cartier divisor exact sequence for an integral domain are nowThe first map is injective. The ideal is the identity divisor precisely when and lie in , that is, precisely when . Next precisely when some isomorphism sends to an element generating , so . Finally the construction from proves surjectivity onto the Picard group. We have therefore checked exactness at every term:No Noetherian, normality or factoriality hypothesis is required.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2010 iii Paper 3 5 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-14
A flat module is one for which tensoring preserves injections. This is equivalent to exactness of the tensor functor, since the tensor product of modules is always right exact: its universal balanced maps identify tensoring a cokernel with the cokernel of the tensored map.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2015 iii Paper 4 3 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
For a cohomological spectral sequence, and the next page is its cohomology. In the bounded setting, convergence of a spectral sequence to means that each has a finite decreasing, exhaustive and separated filtration withHere is the eventual stable value. This determines the associated graded module of , rather than automatically a canonical direct-sum decomposition of . For unbounded filtrations additional completeness/convergence conditions are necessary; boundedness removes those issues here.
The bounded filtered-complex convergence theorem states the following. If is a decreasing filtration by cochain subcomplexes, preserved by the differential, finite in each cochain degree (uniform bounds , are sufficient), then there is a spectral sequenceThe abutment filtration is . Its finite length ensures stabilization and the displayed limiting-page identification. The filtered cochain complex need not itself be bounded in cochain degree. In the degreewise finite version, the bounds in degrees suffice to stabilize the terms of total degree .
For a double cochain complex bounded in both indices, form the total cochain complex with anticommuting differentials and total differential . If the original differentials commute, inserting the usual sign in one of them gives this convention. Filtering by the first index gives and then . Filtering by the second index gives the spectral sequence taking horizontal cohomology first and vertical cohomology next. Both filtrations are finite, so both converge to . This is the two spectral sequences of a bounded double complex construction.
The printed left/left tensor expression needs a handedness repair. Over an arbitrary ring, a tensor product of modules over pairs a right module with a left module. To retain the order of the printed formula, take to be a bounded cochain complex of projective right -modules and a left -module. Alternatively, keep left, take right, and write and . For a commutative ring no repair is needed. We prove the first, correctly typed formulation.
Finite projective dimension gives a finite projective resolution by left modules. Form for . On take and . These anticommute, and the double cochain complex is bounded in both directions. Projective modules are flat modules, so taking vertical cohomology first givesThe first identification uses flatness of ; the second is the Tor functor computed by resolving its left-module argument . Balancedness of the Tor functor allows either correctly sided projective resolution to compute it, by the double-resolution argument.
Taking horizontal cohomology first instead uses flatness of . The resolution then leaves only in column . Its remaining differential is , so the augmentation is a quasi-isomorphism. Apply the convergence theorem to this underlying abelian-group double complex. The two spectral sequences therefore prove the Künneth spectral sequence:These are abelian groups in general; an extra module structure requires appropriate bimodule hypotheses. The index is nonpositive, so is the nonnegative homological index of the Tor functor.
Finally write the cycle modules as and the boundary modules as . If every boundary module is projective, the short exact sequence splits. Thus is projective. The short exact sequence is now a length-one projective resolution, so for . The page occupies only columns . Every for goes columns to the right, hence has zero source or zero target. ThereforeThis two-column degeneration of a Künneth spectral sequence gives the edge short exact sequencesDegeneration itself does not supply a canonical splitting. Projective boundaries also do not force to be projective: a complex with differential multiplication by over has projective boundary but a cohomology group.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2016 iii Paper 122 2 c Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-06
On the monoidal category of modules over the commutative ring , consider the monad coming from the unit and multiplication of the bialgebra . Its opmonoidal functor structure has comparison mapsHere and below Sweedler notation abbreviates the comultiplication . The opmonoidal associativity and unit axioms are the coassociativity and counit laws of the coalgebra. The unit and multiplication of a monad are opmonoidal natural transformations because the bialgebra axioms sayThe Eilenberg-Moore category of this opmonoidal monad is the category of left -modules: a monad-algebra map is exactly a unital associative action.
Applying the preceding construction gives the diagonal bialgebra action and the unit actionThe usual associators and unitors for the tensor product of modules are -linear, and the underlying tensor product is exactly . The forgetful functor into -modules is strict monoidal. The base need not be a field; the modules need be neither flat modules nor finitely generated modules.
Past exam of the mathematics course of the University of Cambridge 2018 iii Paper 113 1 Solution Created 2026-10-03 Updated 2026-10-05
The tensor product of sheaves is the sheafification of the presheafwith restriction maps induced by those of , , and the structure sheaf of a scheme. Sending the germ of to gives a canonical mapIt is surjective because a finite sum of tensors of germs has representatives on one common neighborhood. It is injective because an equality in a tensor product of modules is witnessed by finitely many additive and balancing relations; all their germs, including the scalars in , can be represented and their equalities made valid on a common smaller neighborhood. Equivalently, a filtered colimit of modules commutes with these tensor products. Since sheafification preserves the stalk of a sheaf, this proves the asserted isomorphism.
For the pullback of a sheaf of modules, first form the inverse image sheaf : sheafify . The morphism of sheaves of rings then definesExactness of a sequence of sheaf of modules morphisms is checked on every stalk of a sheaf. Applying the right exactness of the tensor product of modules to the stalk sequence over gives the exact stalk sequence of the pullbacks. Thus preserves sequences ending in zero, as required.
A quasi-coherent sheaf is a sheaf of modules locally of the form for a module over the coordinate ring of an affine neighborhood. On an affine variety with ring , this associated sheaf is characterized on principal opens by , using localization of a module. Suppose and is affine, with ring . The induced algebra map gives a canonical mapAt a point , both sides identify with : on the right use and associativity of the tensor product of modules. The map is therefore an isomorphism on every stalk of a sheaf, hence an isomorphism of sheaves. Such cover , proving that the pullback is a quasi-coherent sheaf.
Finally, on an affine open with ring , the presheaf defining has, on , the valueConsequently , so is a quasi-coherent sheaf. The algebra map for is the composite . Restriction of functions and the tensor-product construction give a canonical sheaf morphism . At , it is the associativity isomorphismIt is therefore a sheaf of modules isomorphism. In particular,